Shrimp and seafood are staples at celebrations, especially during Christmas. While most people know how to peel a shrimp, many struggle with cleaning it properly before cooking.
In any seafood recipe, knowing how to clean the shellfish is the foundation. Clean ingredients prevent gritty textures and off flavors from taking over the dish. A true master of shrimp, even a celebrated and award-winning chef, understands this well. Quique Dacosta stands as an iconic reference in this realm.
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Quique Dacosta, a three Michelin-starred chef from Dénia, demonstrates a method that makes cleaning and gutting shrimp look effortless. He explains the presence of a dark thread running from tail to head that can trap sand or impart an unpleasant taste if not removed. This thread is sometimes referred to as a hidden line that needs careful handling to preserve the shrimp’s delicate moisture and flavor.
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On social media, Dacosta shares a technique to clean shrimp without peeling or opening the meat, focusing on keeping the product intact. He notes that this approach is not suitable for shrimp boiled in seawater, since the cooking process can drive juices out of the shrimp and into the surrounding water. The goal is to retain all the juice inside the shellfish for maximum flavor.
To perform this cleaning without cutting meat, a toothpick is used to locate the gap between the head and tail where the dark thread runs. The toothpick then slides along the interior to reveal and remove the thread, leaving the shrimp ready for cooking without unnecessary damage.
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Once the thread is located, insert the toothpick and gently guide the tip along the line from the bottom. Slowly extract the intestine, taking care to maintain the shrimp’s shape and moisture. This method requires patience and precision, but it yields shrimp with a clean, pure flavor and no surprising textures.